Auto Repair Morgan Hill News : 10-5-12

Even if you have a dashboard display showing what’s behind your car when you back up, it’s hard to be 100 percent sure you won’t hit something. Or someone. That’s why researchers at Japan’s Keio University are working on a system that makes the back seat invisible, so to speak.

From the driver’s perspective, the back of a car, in this case a Prius, is transparent, thus eliminating blind spots that could conceal hazards. The system is called the “see-through Prius” and it’s being showcased this month at the 2012 Digital Content Expo in Tokyo.

The system is a variant on optical-camouflage technology developed by Susumu Tachi, Masahiko Inami and colleagues about a decade ago.

The BMW 1-Series M Coupe is basically done; it was a one-year special sold as a limited edition. But now there’s a new compact BMW that’s not-quite-but-almost as good, at least in some respects: the 2013 135is. Available as either a coupe or a convertible, the 135is borrows the same basic philosophy (and engine) as found in the 335is, delivering…